Lens-cutting machine.



L. WILHELM.

LENS CUTTING MACHINE. I APPLICATION FILED JUNE 24, 1915.

Patented June 6, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEETI L. WILHELM.

LENS CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED Jun. 1915.

Patentd June 6, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Fri/Q9.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS WILHELM, :OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR ,TO GLOBE OPTICA-LJ COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

LENS-CUTTING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 24, 1915. Serial No. 36,156.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS WILHELM, a citizen of the United States, and resident of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented an Improvement in Lens-Cutting Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is

a specification, likev letters on the drawings representing like parts.

My present invention is an improvement in the machine shown in the patent to W. IV. Slade and H. F. Bower, No. 813,459, dated Feb. 27, 1906, and the object of the invention is to improve and perfect a lens cutting machine of that type.

In cutting lensa high grade of work is required, because of the brittleness of the material beingworked, z. 6. glass, and also because an extremely great degree of skill and delicacy of operation is requisite. In the machine of said patent, difficulty has been experienced in some lines of work, particularly. on extra thin material and with unskilled labor, because the operator was obliged to apply the pressure to hold the lens on the cutting bed, manually. This action necessarily resulted in a variable and uneven holding pressure on the glass being cut, ofttimes a considerable pressure bein I 0' applied by the operator through one hand operating the lever and against .the cutting point, and the other pressing downwar ly while rotating the gears and operating the machine. The o erators attention being necessarily fixec on the cutting, he would unconsciously press more or less on the-hold-down, and consequent-ly-the glasswas apt to slip in some instances or actually be broken in others, since the operator never knew exactly the degree of force being applied to the lens. My present invention aims to eliminate these difiiculties and to provide an automatic holddown for a lens cutting machine, which will, at all times,secure the lens on its bed while permitting the latter to rotate during the cutting operation, entirely free ng the operator from any manual action to hold theglass in position, while yet enabling the operator to pressthe lens against the cutter as strongly or as lightlyas is desired. I accomplish this result by having a hold-down operated by spring tension, entirely independently of the raising and lowering of the cutting bed holding the glass during cutting operation, which raising and I lowering is done by a hand lever.

Other details of construction, novel com-.

Patented June 6,1916. f

bination of parts, and important advantages will; be hereinafter pointed out and claimed. Referring to the drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of 'my invention,

vFigure 1 is a front view of the lens cutting machine illustrated in said Slade and Bower patent, wherein my invention is embodied in preferred form; Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view on the lines 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view on the lines 33 of .Fig. 2;

form of hold-down detached from the lens Fig. 4 is a side view of my novel cuttingmachine; and Fig. 5 is a view of have not herein illustrated each and every detail of construction of the cutter shown in said patent, reference thereto being hereby made for a further full and more complete" illustration of the details of lower construction, etc

so pattern, fol- The lens cutting machine comprises the 1 hollow base 1, preferably of metal, having an upstanding standard 2, which standardcarries lugs 3 and at at one side, betweenwhich lugs is pivotally secured a carrier arm 5 which projects forwardly and is formed to carry both the 'diamond cutter and the follower which cooperates with the pattern in determining the course of movement of said cutter as the lens is revolved under it. This carrier has atits forward end forked-arms 6 and 7, in which is pivotally secured a holder 8 having an offset portion 9 resting 9 on the lower forked arm 7. Slidably held in the offset portion 9 is a block- 10 adapted to be'moved to and fro by a thumb nut 11 and with its forward face concaved to rest against the pattern at two points, for better operation during rotation of the pattern against said block. An indicator 12 isso secured to the block 10 that it will point on a scale l3 as the block is manipulated inwardly or outwardly by the'thumb nut 11. The standard 2 also carries forwardly pro- I jecting arms 14 and lowhich are adapted to receive bearings for a vertical shaft 16 which is positioned centrally of the base 1, and to which is removably secured the pattern 17.

in height and position to cooperate with the sliding block 10 on the holder 8. The block 10 is held in yielding engagement with. the pattern 17 by means of a spring 18 which has one end secured to the carrier 5, and the other end attached to a chain 19, which chain is adapted to fit over a rod 20 secured to the standard 2, and thus provide an adjustment for tension through interchange of any of the links in the chain. On the shaft 16 is secured a gear 21, having a handle so that said gear may be rotated, which gear meshes with a pinion 23 mounted on a vertical shaft 24c extending downwardly in the standard 2 and carrying near its base a corresponding pinion 25 arranged to mesh with a gear 26. This gear carries on its upper surface the bed 27, preferably of rubber and in circular form, on which the lens may be positioned, and said gear is mounted on a stem 28 slidably fitting within the central aperture 29 of the boss 30 in said base 1. This stem is adapted to be lifted by the inner end of a lever 31, pivoted at 32 on the cars 33 at the outside of the base 1, which lever is adapted to be oscillated by handle 3% manipulated by the operator. Depression of the lever 34: by the operator acts to raise the gear 26 and lens bed 27 upwardly during rotation thereof, the teeth on the pin ion 25 being of sufiicient length to permit a considerable range of vertical movement without permitting the teeth of gear 26 to get out of mesh therewith. This vertical movement acts to raise the lens 35 resting on the bed 27 against the diamond cutter 36 and the holder 3. In this position rotation of the handle 22 and of the pattern 17 and gear 26 in timed relation against the cutter while said cutter is moved to follow the contour of the pattern 17, through the tension of the spring 18, accomplishes the cutting action, as above briefly explained and as more fully explained. in the Slade and Bower patent.

In order to effectually hold the lens 35 on the elastic bed 27 without interfering with the vertical movement of the gear 26 nor with its rotation, nor with the action of the cutter thereupon, I provide a novel form of hold-down. The base 1 has its central portion adjacent the boss 30 in which the stem 28 is mounted, raised slightly as indicated at 37, Fig. 3, to provide a bearing and retainer shoulder for the horizontal plate 38 of the hold-down, which plate is apertured at 3?) to fit loosely about the stem 28 of the gear 26, and is recessed at 410 to fit upon the raised portion 37. This plate 38 is thus adapted to swing loosely 'around the stem 28 of the gear 26 and to be raised and lowered with it. The plate 38 is extended outwardly beyond the base and is formed into a socket member 41 having a recess to receive a spring as and a forked portion adapted to bear against a lever 43 which is pivotally mounted at i i in a pair of forks 45. This lever extends inwardly and centrally of the base 1 carrying the hold-down 46 which is connected. therewith by a universal ball and socket oint at 4:7, see Figs. 3 and at.

The action of the spring a2 tends to force the lever with its outer end carrying the hold-down l6 downwardly against and upon the lens 35 firmly upon the elastic bed 27. This arrangement effectually holds the lens in position with a constant and unvarying degree of pressure, irrespective of the pres sure supplied to the lever handle 34, and requires no downward holding pressure whatever on the gear handle 22. Formerly the operator was obliged to exert a lens-holding pressure upon the handles 3% and 22, in addition to that required to rotate thegear, operate the machine, and hold the lens pressed upwardly against the cutter 36. I prefer to extend the lever 22 backwardly and to flatten the same sufliciently to form a convenient thumb holding surface 18, and to provide a correspondingly rigid finger hold.- ing surface 49, the latter formed on the extcrior of the socket n to facilitate raising the hold-down a6 against the compression of the spring 42. A latch 50 may be conveniently, pivoted to the lever 43 at 51, which latch may be provided with a notch 52 to catch on a pin 53 positioned in a slot 54 in the finger hold 49, through which slot the lower end of the latch. 50 may be guided, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. When it is desired to release the lens 35, the lever 43 is oscillated on its pivot and the latch 50 snapped into position so that the notch 52 will catch on the pin 53 and retain the hold-down 46 removed from the lens to permit the latter being removed or positioned Slides or bosses 55 are formed on. the lower part of the plate 38 to rest on the top of the base 1, and act as a bearing for the hold-down. The usual centering pin 56 in the center of the gear 26 is also provided as explained in the Slade and Bower patent.

The operation of my improved lens cutting machine and the importance and advantage of the lens holding means being independent of the lever pressure exerted by the operator on the handle 34 or on the gear rotating handle 22 will be readily appreciated. The operator is enabled to concentrate his attention on the cutting action, the lens is held more uniformly than when hand pressure is involved, and I find that it is even feasible to permit unskilled operators to do this work, owing to the above mentioned advantages. Furthermore the cutting is more uniform, the edges of the lens out being smoother, unbroken, and hence requiring less grinding when using my machine than was formerly the case. The ball and socket joint at 4:7 between the lever and hold-down permits both lens and hold-down to rotate freely, While the clamping pressure is retained. If desired, a rubber ring 57 may be carried by the hold-dovvn 46, and a disk or plunger 58 is preferably interposed between the spring a2 and lever 43 to facilitate the operation of the clamp.

Having described my invention, What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a lens cutting machine of the kind described, a lens bed support, a yielding hold-down for the lens, comprising a horizontal plate carried by the lens bed support, a pivoted lever mounted on said plate, carrying at one end a hold-down by a universal joint connection, and yielding means to actuate said lever and hold-down into lens clamping position.

2. In a lens cutting machine of the kind described, a lens bed support, a yielding hold-down for the lens, comprising a horizontal plate carried by the lens bed support, a pivoted lever mounted on said plate, carrying at one end a hold-down by a universal joint connection, a spring to actuate said lever and hold-down into lens clamping position, a housing for said spring, and a latch to hold the lever in raised position against the compression of said spring.

In testimony whereof, I have signedmy name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

LOUIS IVILHELM.

Witnesses ANTHONY C. FEHM, JAS. M. BABoooK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

. Washington, D. G." 

